Rating: 
Summary: A brave book, a compelling story
Review: After knocking one out of the park with Midwives, Bohjalian has both capitalized on his singular knack for topical story-telling, and one-upped himself. For this conventionally phallo-centric male...[the] surgery wasn't an easy subject, but Bohjalian earned the right to make me squirm. The cleverest thing about this novel is the way in which, by the end of its pretty speedy 300 pages, a whole lot of things that had seemed pretty far out to me suddenly seemed not so strange at all. .... These lovely people, whatever their plumbing, deserve some happiness, and Bohjalian is wise and kind enough to give it to them. This is a love story that's both moving and makes you think.
Rating: 
Summary: A risky book to write
Review: With all the topics to write about Mr. Bohjalian decided to take a huge risk and write about transgenders. An interesting and brave choice especially after being selected by Oprah for his book Midwives. The story is compelling and actually makes you flinch at times when he describes the surgery. I enjoyed the book and have to applaud him for writing it, even though it may not please everyone. I'm sure the author will be applauded or crucified for taking transgenders into the mainstream.
Rating: 
Summary: Small Town Vermont Meets Transexual
Review: A M2F transexual and his lover and friends meet with intolerance in a small Vermont community, but considering the size of the town, it could have been worse. Played out as transcripts of a multi-part radio documentary, the descriptions and dialog were complete and believable. I purchased the CD Audio version to listen on a long car trip, and found it most entertaining. Narrator Judith Ivey did a good job of giving each character a "voice" of his or her own.I was, though, disappointed in Bohjalian's ending. I thought the story had a sad ending, and that the happy ending tacked onto the end was just too fast and sweet a turn around. But the story is certainly worth the reader's (or listener's) time. At least 4 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Mediocre
Review: He's got the Vermont small-town bigotry down and, from what I've read, he's got a pretty good portrayal of a typical M2F experience down, but Chris Bohjalian hasn't put together these elements into a good story. The topic's inherently interesting and works best with a trenchant style that explores ironies, delves deeply into the situations and twists our perceptions for a new perspective. I found this book novelistically, stylistically boring instead. Bohjalian's alternating first-person viewpoint did not exploit the format to give us a unique, memorable voice for each character, and his descriptions and dialogs, except for a line or two, remain unmemorable. Just because he got selected for Oprah's Book Club doesn't mean he's a good writer. Read Monique Proulx's The Sex of the Stars for a witty, original and perceptive view of transgendered people instead.
Rating:
Summary: The Master Surgeon Is In
Review: Someone you love is changing. Maybe he's changing politics, or taking up Buddhism, or just going through a rough patch. Of course you continue to love him. But what happends when the person you love is changing genders? You continue to love . . . who? Once again, Chris Bohjalian takes his razor sharp imagination deep into the heart of a new dramatic conflict. Bohjalian's universe is full of real people facing incredibly complicated situations with humor and humanity -- decent people we might hope to emulate if we found ourselves in a similar predicament. As with many of Bohjalian's dramatic concoctions, I'd much rather read about these folks than have to endure their stories. No wonder you can't walk through an airport these days without seeing one of this guy's books.
Rating:
Summary: Another book of wonderfully unique characters
Review: Chris Bohjalian is a truly amazing storyteller. Once again, he has created a book of wonderfully quirky characters, lovingly (and with humor) portraying life in his adopted home of Vermont. In this book, he asks the reader to explore his/her views on love, "alternative life styles," and parenting, telling the story of a lead character who wrestles with his sexual identity.
Rating:
Summary: Another Bohjalian Pageturner
Review: I have yet to be disappointed by a Chris Bohjalian book. His ability to make the characters leap off the page and into the reader's mind is remarkable. He is one of the few contemporary authors that have an uncanny ability to make you feel that the book's plot is actually happening somewhere in the world. Not only is this an enjoyable book to read (enjoyable in that you care so much about the characters that you have to keep reading, no matter how much your eyes hurt), but it's a topic that is largely untouched in contemporary writing. Buy the book, read the book, then share this one with others.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting read
Review: What a great change of pace this book was. I thought this book was geat because it offered the different perspectives of the people involved in the life of man going through a sex change. I also thought it was interesting that the events took place in a small town in Vermont, to show how others outside the group of main characters deal with this man.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting story with room for lots of thought
Review: I might want to give the book 3.5 stars. It was a good and fast read. I read the book in one day, and the structure of the novel is such that it's a very compelling story. Having 4 characters tell their own story in the first person makes it very intimate, and I liked that. Bohjalian wrote it well for that. With that said, I'm not sure all the characters were as fleshed out as they could have been. I know the story of Dana, the one going through the sex change, was told, but I had some problem accepting his desire to be a woman. It wasn't sold to me very strongly. I liked Allison's story, and her dilemna. She was a very interesting character, and her conflict about whether she could become a lesbian was fascinating. Also, I really felt for her and how the venomous reaction of the small town affected her. The story brings up lots of questions about the nature of love and gender identity in love. Does gender matter in who we fall in love with? I, despite being heterosexual, never thought so. I always accepted the philosophy that we do not choose who we fall in love with, and if it happened to be someone of the same sex, so be it. However, this novel forced me to think about that in a more critical manner. Also, everyone is different, and our reactions and feelings to situations will be unique. That is also brought up in the novel. I read this because it was a selection of my book club. I look forward to a stimulating discussion about it. I do recommend the book for those who are intrigued about the topic, want a good read, and like to discuss these ethereal issues.
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